RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Spot Rate Committee of the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA) on Monday decreased the spot rate by Rs 200 per maund and closed it at RS 14400 per maund.

The Spot Rate Committee of the Karachi Cotton Association on Monday decreased the spot rate by Rs 200 per maund and closed it at RS 14400 per maund. The Polyester Fibre was available at Rs 225 per kg.

Cotton Analyst Naseem Usman told that the local cotton market remained easy and trading volume remained good.

The rate of cotton in Sindh is in between Rs 12500 to Rs 14500 per maund and the rate of cotton in Punjab is in between Rs 14400 to Rs 14700 per maund.

The rate of the new crop of Phutti in Sindh was in between Rs 5200 to Rs 6100 per 40 kg. The rate of Phutti in Punjab is in between Rs 5500 to Rs 6400 per 40 kg. The rate of Banola in Sindh is in between Rs 1500 to Rs 1800 per maund. The rate of Banola in Punjab is in between Rs 1600 to Rs 2000 per maund. The rate of cotton in Balochistan is in between Rs 13800- 14200 per maund. The rate of Phutti in Balochistan is Rs 5900- 7000 per maund.

200 bales of Saleh Pat were sold at Rs 14300 per maund, 800 bales of Rohri were sold at Rs 14100 to Rs 14200 per maund, 200 bales of Karoondi, 200 bales of Rani Pur, 200 bales of Rasoolabad, 200 bales of Sarkand, 600 bales of Sui Gas were sold at Rs 14000 per maund, 400 bales of Sarhari were sold at Rs 13400 per maund, 200 bales of Shahdad Pur were sold at Rs 12800 per maund,1200 bales of Mian Wali were sold at Rs 14500 to Rs 14800 per maund, 1200 bales of Shujabad were sold at Rs 14300 to Rs 14800 per maund, 1000 bales of Khan Pur East were sold at Rs 14300 to Rs 14700 per maund, 200 bales of Mian Channu were sold at Rs 14700 per maund, 600 bales of Sadiqabad were sold at Rs 14600 per maund, 200 bales of Rahim Yar Khan, 400 bales of Marrot were sold at Rs 14500 per maund, 2800 bales of Yazman Mandi, 200 bales of Lodhran, 2200 bales of Haroonabad were sold at Rs 14200 to Rs 14300 per maund, 1200 bales of Hasil Pur were sold at Rs 14000 to Rs 14200 per maund.

Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel said that farmers confidence in Integrated Pests Management (IPM) improved remarkably as it helped achieving handsome production despite very low cost on inputs.

Secretary Agriculture Saqib Ali Ateel said in a statement issued here informed that this year the Agriculture Department has set up 120 demonstration plots of cotton in 41 tehsils of 11 districts of South Punjab where IPM model has been fully implemented.

In this regard, the farmers cooperated and followed recommendations of the Department of Agriculture, South Punjab. He hinted that chemical spray on the cotton crop was delayed as much as possible from the beginning and as an alternative, bio-pesticides were used to control pests.

However, the secretary stated, the farmers who implemented IPM tools managed to reduce the cost per acre. At the same time, their production and profitability improved significantly. According to the survey report, IPM emerged as a successful model as low-cost cultivation and higher profits encouraged farmers and they reiterated to cultivate more area in the future.

Increasing apparel exports by India and Pakistan to the US and European markets will not affect the export earnings of Bangladesh, apparel manufacturers said.

Both India and Pakistan are neighbouring competitors of Bangladesh when it comes to apparel export. They also said that the largest trade volume in all these destinations is still exported from Bangladesh.